University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The Expertise Economy
Book

The Expertise Economy

How the Smartest Companies Use Learning to Engage, Compete and Succeed

Kelly Palmer and David Blake
Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2018
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Applicable
  • Insider's Take

Recommendation

Kelly Palmer and David Blake explain that today’s leaders should focus on skills as part of their business strategies. They must support self-directed and peer learning by investing in practices and technologies that empower employees to manage their own learning and career goals. Workplace learning has changed in leading organizations and among top employees. With near unlimited, often free and frequently high-quality learning available – everywhere and anytime – active learners no longer need to wait for corporate training. Education has to change; Palmer and Blake, executives at the education technology company Degreed, show you how. With the caveat that the book also promotes their firm, getAbstract recommends this indispensable leaders’ guide to modern workforce development to executives, managers, teachers, learners and even parents.

Summary

Workplace Learning Must Evolve

Many companies remain structured – both in their organization and mindset – to address last century’s challenges, even as digitization and technology quicken the pace of change and alter the composition of work. Indeed, nothing has changed more dramatically in recent decades than work itself. The complexity of business combined with an inexorable need to innovate, require increasingly greater and more specific skills. This demand has given rise to an “expertise economy” in which firms face near-unprecedented challenges attracting and retaining the right people to compete and thrive.

To meet this challenge, leaders must adopt modern, talent-oriented practices among their primary and direct responsibilities, including a revamped approach to workforce development. Learning must evolve from a top-down, one-size-fits-all emphasis to a self-directed, personalized endeavor supported by the company and modern technologies. The best learning organizations avoid standard training. Leading organizations nurture a culture of continual learning that supports self-directed learners in constantly acquiring new skills and abilities...

About the Authors

Formerly the chief learning officer at LinkedIn, Kelly Palmer is now part of the executive team at Degreed, an education technology company where David Blake is co-founder and executive chairman. getAbstract has a content partnership with Degreed.

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